A Trip Down Privet Drive
by TheCompositionNotebook
Summary: Harry returns to Privet Drive a few weeks after the final battle and the end of the war. He is quite surprised by what he finds there...in more ways than one! One-shot!


**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, no matter how hard I wish I was. That means I don't own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish I do.**

**A/N: I'm not really exactly sure how this managed to get this long. It's so long. Everything just spiraled out of control and all these words happened! XD**

**I hope you don't get bored with it! I appreciate reviews, so if you'd like to do that you would make my day! But please try to be kind, if you would.**

**Alright, you go read now! :)**

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><p>"Harry, you're going to have to go at some point."<p>

"I know, Hermione," Harry groaned in response. He looked up at her and saw that she was wearing her classic stern expression. He looked away rather quickly.

"Don't you want the rest of your stuff back?" she asked. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Of course I do," Harry said. "I left a lot of stuff there when we went on the run."

"Then why don't you just go to Privet Drive and get it over with?" Hermione asked. Harry could hear the exasperation in her voice. He fought the urge to roll his eyes again as he looked over at Ron, who was snickering quietly.

"To tell the truth, I'm really not looking forward to it, on top of everything that's happened in the last year, the last few months. Hearing my Uncle sneer about how worthless I am again..." he let his voice die out. He averted his eyes away from his friends, missing the looks that were passing between them.

"Listen mate," Ron said, any hint of humor gone. "Me and Hermione were talking, and...we reckon we ought to come with you."

Harry froze and looked at Ron across the Burrow's kitchen table, which they were all seated at. His fork hung in midair over his breakfast.

Take Ron and Hermione with him to Privet Drive? Harry almost snorted when he thought of the look on his Uncle's face when he walked in with two of his wizard friends.

"We thought it might make it easier to be there if we came," Hermione said softly, her stern look now replaced with a much gentler one.

Harry stopped and started seriously thinking about it. After the past two months, the whirlwind of funerals and ministry hearings, it would be nice to get some support. Having to go back once he thought he was shot of the place forever wouldn't be easy. Harry was forcibly reminded of his godfather, forced to live in his childhood home that he had hated so much, after he thought he was rid of the place forever as well. But Sirius had always been in a better mood when he'd had company...

Harry pondered for a few more moments, pushing the eggs on his plate around with his fork. He could feel Hermione's nervous gaze on him. "Yeah, alright," he said slowly. "I suppose you could come if you wanted."

"Harry! Of course we want to come!" Hermione said indignantly. "Even though Voldemort's gone, my words from Dumbledore's funeral still stand. We're going to stick with you."

"Anyways, I'm looking forward to terrifying the Dursley's with magic," Ron snorted. Harry turned an amused eye towards him.

"What, are you angling towards another 'ton-tongue toffee' incident?" he asked.

"I dunno, maybe. I never even got to see any of that, though, did I? I was already flooed away!" Ron said.

"Well you can take my word for it," Harry laughed. "It's one of my favorite memories of my dear cousin." He chanced a look in Hermione's direction. She looked half amused, half disapproving. He fought the urge to laugh again.

Mr. Weasley walked into the kitchen at that moment, bidding them good morning and accepting a plate of food from his wife, who had walked in with him. He sat down at the table with them.

Harry was currently staying with the Weasleys, as he really didn't have much of anywhere else to go. Mrs. Weasley was more that willing to accept him, however, and immediately squashed his idea of him going out and getting a flat. She had made up the camp bed in Ron's room for him, as all the other Weasleys were back at the Burrow, their rooms occupied.

_'All the remaining Weasleys,'_ Harry thought, a pang hitting him somewhere in the chest.

"Alright then, you two are coming. But I'll have to contact my uncle first. I wouldn't fancy just simply walking in on him, he might not be too happy," Harry said, taking a bite of the buttered toast Mrs. Weasley had just placed on his plate.

"Oh! You can use my...my tell-ah-fone!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly. Harry and Hermione both laughed at his mus-pronunciation.

"Yeah, alright. I'll give him a ring after we finish breakfast," Harry agreed.

They continued to eat, laughing and chattering away, Mrs. Weasley making sure they got third helpings of everything.

~A Trip Down Privet Drive~

Five hours later, Harry suddenly appeared into bright sunlight. He blinked a few times, feeling his feet hit the pavement. He looked around and saw Ron and Hermione behind him.

He looked at his surroundings for a few moments before realizing where he was. They were standing on the road outside the park he had come to while whittling the time away during his summers at Privet Drive. The one he had been sitting in just before he and Dudley were attacked by the dementors before his fifth year. He noted that the swings were still all broken, save for one on the end.

To tell the truth, he was amazed that they were even there. He wasn't expecting his Aunt to tell him that he could come by later that day. And yet here he was, back in the town where he grew up.

Harry looked over at his friends again, muttering "Come on." Then he started the walk over to number four.

"So, Harry," Hermione said, her slight apprehension clear. "How far to you uncle's house?"

"Just a few streets away," he answered back dully.

"It'll be alright, mate. We won't have to stay for that long, we'll just grab your stuff and scamper," Ron said reassuringly, clapping him on the shoulder.

Harry gave a stiff nod. He wasn't particularly nervous about being back, really just about coming face to face with his uncle. Harry knew his uncle's temper was bound to go off, Ron and Hermione with him or not.

They rounded the corner onto Privet Drive in silence. Hermione kept giving him nervous looks. It wasn't helping him calm down.

Harry walked up the driveway and knocked on the door, Ron and Hermione standing behind him. The door opened and Harry found himself face to face with someone who looked remarkably like his cousin. But it couldn't be him, this man was skinny and muscular, perfectly fit.

But to Harry's great surprise, the 'stranger' said, "Hi Harry. Good to see you again." Harry was pulled into an extremely awkward one-arm hug.

"Blimey Dudley. Is that you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I know I'm a lot different than before. While we were in hiding there wasn't much to do, and I took up exercise And there were limited food supplies, as well, so."

"Good for you," Harry said. He noticed that Dudley had spotted Ron and Hermione, who were standing out awkwardly on the front step. "Oh, er... Dudley. These are my best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Guys, this is my cousin, Dudley."

"Hello Dudley," Hermione said stiffly as she shook his hand. Ron gave a stiff nod is his direction. They were obviously still a bit angry at him, remembering how miserable he had made their best friends childhood.

"You're both wizards as well?" Dudley asked.

"Yes, we are," Ron answered back defiantly. Harry half expected Dudley to react by clamping his hands to his bottom and tearing out of the room like he had done years ago, But he didn't.

Instead, Dudley nodded and said, "And you two were the ones who went on the run with him." Harry blinked in surprise.

"How did you know that?" Harry asked him curiously.

"Oh, that witch and wizard we were in hiding with," Dudley said. "They tried to keep us informed about what was going on. They would get this newspaper every day. Though they said that was rubbish, they said that this funny magazine they got was better. Until that one went to rubbish as well."

"The Quibbler," Hermione said fondly.

"Yeah, that was it!" Dudley agreed. "But then they would also listen to this radio show. They called it 'Potterwatch'." He glanced over at Harry.

"Yeah, we managed to catch that show once," Harry said grimly.

"Well they caught nearly every episode. I listened with them."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Blimey, Dud. You listened to that wizarding radio program?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "Once they told me what it was, I didn't miss one. Mum listened once or twice as well, but Dad wouldn't. He refused to have anything to do with it. Or Dedalus and Hestia, either. He wouldn't talk to them. I had to relay anything he had to say."

"Well, it's good to know that some things don't change, I guess. Speaking of which, where are they, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?"

"Well, Mum's in the kitchen, making some tea for us. And dad's at work, he managed to get his job back."

"How did he feel about me coming back today?" Harry asked. "Thrilled I suppose?"

"Oh...well, we didn't tell him you were coming today," Dudley said awkwardly.

"That was probably a smart move, actually," Harry agreed. "He probably would have blown up or something."

Ron snorted behind him. Harry turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean like your Aunt in our third year?" he asked between laughs. Harry laughed loudly. Hermione laughed as well, which surprised him greatly. At the time she had scolded him greatly for it.

"Well, if he were here and he infuriated me again...I make no promises," Harry said. Ron laughed even harder.

"Anyway," said Dudley, "Mum said to send you upstairs to gather up your things, and then to come into the living room for a cup of tea, alright?"

"Sure, Big D," Harry said, unable to resist using that nickname at least once while he was there. Dudley smiled and walked into the kitchen, the door shutting behind him.

"Your cousin is so much more...normal now," Hermione said, staring after him.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Being in hiding did him some good." He took the opportunity to look around his old home a bit, noticing that things were somewhat different. The hallway had been re-papered, and peering into the living room he could see that most of the furniture was new. But the pictures on the mantel, although in new frames, were still the same. Pictures of Dudley in varying stages of his life.

"Well," Harry said finally, "Up to my room, then." He started slowly climbing up the stairs, Ron and Hermione padding up behind him.

He walked down the upstairs hall, past the other rooms belonging to his family, and up to his old door. He hesitantly pushed it open. It looked a bit like a tornado had hit, and someone who hadn't the faintest idea of what 'tidy' was had tried to clean it up.

His trunk was standing open in the corner of the room, its contents splayed out across the room. His robes were gathered up together on the bed in a messy pile, next to a pile of books that was accompanied by a stack of ripped out pages. His cauldron lay on it's side next to his trunk, and his potion making kit was spilled on the floor. He could just see the golden tip of the egg from the Triwizard Tournament glinting from under his desk, which had all of the drawers pulled out and stacked on top. The desk chair was lying on its side, one of its legs ripped off and balanced precariously on top. There were a few loose pages still scattered around, and the fluffy white feathers everywhere from a great slash in the pillow.

"Oh my wizard god," Hermione said, surveying the damage.

"Well, its not like I'm surprised by it at all, I was expecting it," Harry said, picking up one of the loose pages he had trod on while walking into the middle of the room. It was from one of the Lockhart books. He snorted.

"You were expecting your room to be trashed?" Ron asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"I didn't think the Death Eaters would clean up after themselves, and I doubted that Aunt Petunia warmed up to me enough to clean it up. Although it looks like Dudley might have tried..." Harry said, walking over to the pile of robes on the bed. Hermione wandered over to the pile of books and began sorting through them, and Ron started fishing the golden egg out from under the desk.

Harry picked up the robes one by one, noting the large rips in each of them. He repaired them as best as he could and folded them up, dumping them into the bottom of his trunk.

"Harry, should I repair the books and put them in the trunk too?" Hermione asked, holding up his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.

"Yeah, everything except the Lockhart books. They're rubbish, you can just leave them," Harry replied as he began picking up what he could salvage of his potions kit. Ron snickered and they shared an amused look as he dumped the egg in his trunk, before he turned back and started to fix the damage to the desk and the chair. Hermione huffed slightly.

Harry finished picking up his potions ingredients, and tucked them and his cauldron in his trunk next to the egg. He eyed the multicolored stain on the carpet and thought about what Aunt Petunia would say if she saw it. He chuckled as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the stain, saying "Scourgify." He watched the carpet return to normal color.

He walked over to the bedside table where a few crumpled and broken quills were sitting amid some balled up pieces of paper. He curiously picked up one of the papers and un-balled it, identifying it as a failed attempt at a History of Magic essay. He laughed and righted the overturned waste basket, throwing the paper and quills in it. As he set down the bin something underneath the table caught his eye. A red corner of fabric was poking out, and he reached out and picked it up. It was a ripped and tattered Gryffindor banner, and he smiled at it. He repaired it with his wand and walked over to his trunk, where Hermione was now attempting to fit everything in neatly. He handed the now fixed banner to her and she smiled at it as well, folding it up and placing it neatly in.

Suddenly, a strangled sort of cheer came from under his bed. He looked over and saw Ron's legs sticking out from under it. "Harry! You'll never guess what I just found!" came Ron's muffled voice as he began wriggling out. Harry shared an amused look with Hermione.

But as Ron emerged, a huge grin on his freckly features, he held something out that made Harry's heart skip a few beats and then start pounding.

"But...how..." he stammered, taking it into his hands. His Firebolt. His broomstick. His previously lost forever broomstick.

"You lost that on the night you left here, didn't you?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded slowly. "But...it must have fallen a thousand feet, we were so high up! How did it survive?" she asked, running her hands over the previously sleek and shiny handle that now had a few nicks and a long scratch on it. A few of the twigs in the tail were bent at strange angles.

"Maybe it caught in the wind as it fell," Ron said, staring at it as though it had just saved all of their lives.

"Even if it did, how did it get back here?" Harry asked. "We were miles away when it fell. It couldn't have just blown back to right here, what are the chances of that?"

"About a million to one," Hermione said slowly. They debated theories as to how the broom had found its way back to Privet drive for a few more minutes, each theory as unlikely as the next, before Harry remembered that his aunt and cousin were waiting for him to have tea. Harry looked through the room once more before he locked up his trunk, approving of the tidy mess inside. He took out his wand and pointed it at his trunk.

"Locomotor Mortis," he said, levitating it out into the hallway, following after it. He took one last look into the room that held so many memories for him, the majority of them slightly painful, before snapping the door shut firmly behind him. He followed Ron and Hermione down the stairs and set his trunk down next to the door, Ron gently placing the newly recovered broomstick on top.

He was about to usher his friends into the living room before going to the kitchen to help with the tea, when Hermione turned to him with an incredibly sad expression on her face.

"What? What is it?" he asked, concerned and slightly bewildered.

She slowly reached out and placed her hand on the door to the cupboard under the stairs. "That's where..." she said, her voice trailing off. Harry sighed and looked over at Ron. He didn't remember ever telling Hermione that he was forced to live there, but he distinctly remembered telling Ron the first time they ever met. Sure enough, Ron's ears were slowly turning red.

"Yes, Hermione," he said, looking back to her. "That was my bedroom for the first ten years I lived here." She somehow managed to look even sadder.

"Ten years?" she asked incredulously. Harry suddenly understood that Ron had at least not told her how long he had been forced to sleep there. He chuckled darkly.

"Can I?" she asked quietly, her hand moving to rest on the little doorknob. Harry nodded. She turned the little doorknob and bent down to peer inside. Harry heard her breath catch in her throat. She squeezed herself inside and sat down on the little bed that was stuck there, pulling the light cord so she could look around a bit better. "Oh, Harry..." she whispered.

Ron had bent down and peered in as well, but suddenly retreated quickly. Harry smiled slightly and asked, "Spider?". Ron nodded stiffly. Harry clapped him on the shoulder and walked over to peer in at Hermione. She was looking around in amazement, her eyes shining.

The moment she saw him, she asked in a voice that was slightly choked, "How could anyone do this to a child?" Harry smiled grimly again.

"It's alright Hermione. That's in the past now," he assured her.

She reached over and picked up one of the toy knights on the little shelf, barely having to extend her arm. She examined it for a few moments, before Harry said, "Ah, one of my only toys. That one was my favorite." Her eyes started shining even brighter.

"Would...would you mind if I kept this?" she asked quietly. Harry could read the sadness in her voice.

"Go ahead," he said, reaching out and brushing off a spider that was about to land on her shoulder. "Now come on, get out of there," he said as he helped her out and pulled the light cord. He shut the door behind them with a firm snap.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Hermione wrapped him in a suffocating hug. "Hermione, it's okay," he said again, patting her on the back a bit.

"I know you're fine now," she said, "But just to think that you lived in there for so long...". Her eyes were suddenly dancing with a sort of fire that he had only seen there before a few time, when she had slapped Draco Malfoy being one of them. Her sudden change in temperament surprised him.

"If I hear that they did anything else horrible to you..." she said darkly. Harry realized that she was fingering her wand in her pocket.

"Hey!" Harry said quickly. "You'll not be hexing anyone while we are here!"

"But they deserve it..." she mumbled. Harry laughed softly.

"Listen, you and Ron go sit in the living room for a few minutes. And calm down," he said, giving her a stern look.

"Oh, alright," she said, stalking into the next room. He shared an amused glance with Ron.

"You know it would be fun to see her-," he began, before Harry cut him off.

"No," he said firmly. Ron shrugged.

"Your loss," he said jokingly, a smirk on his face.

"Just try to calm her down, would you? I just got on good terms with my cousin and everything, I don't need her hexing someone!" Harry said.

"I think I can manage to calm down my own girlfriend," Ron said, grinning as he followed her through the door.

"I hope so," Harry said quietly to himself, staring after them. He was still sort of getting used to the idea of them going out. True, he had foreseen it, along with almost everyone else, but it was strange all the same.

Then he grinned as he thought of Ginny, who hadn't come along because she had said that she didn't trust herself enough not to hex the Dursleys. She had also learned about his home life from Ron, and apparently wasn't too pleased with them either. Harry stood there for a few moments, just thinking about the time he had been able to spend with her and how lucky he was, before his thoughts were interrupted by the door to the kitchen swinging open behind him and Dudley coming out of it, holing a tray of biscuits.

"Oh," he said, spotting Harry standing there. "Have you finished gathering up your stuff?" he asked.

"Yep," Harry said, motioning to his trunk and broomstick by the door.

"Ah!" Dudley said suddenly. "You found your broomstick, them?"

"Yeah, I did," Harry said, eying the sudden grin on his cousin's face. "Do you know how it got here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I brought it!" Dudley said brightly.

"You brought it? But...how?" Harry stammered out confusedly.

"Oh, I never told you, did I?" Dudley asked. Harry shook his head. "Well, when we were leaving here that night last July, Hestia suddenly pointed up at the sky while we were in the car, about twenty minutes after we left. I thought she was pointing out fireworks, but she told us that it was some sort of wizard battle and that there must have been trouble getting you out of here."

Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Oh yeah. There was." he said.

Dudley looked a bit like he wanted to ask what happened, but he just continued with his story. "Anyway, something suddenly came spinning down at the car really fast, I thought it was going to hit us, but Dedalus stuck his wand out the window and stopped it. When he pulled it inside, I saw that it was your broom. And I told them it was yours and asked if I could bring it back for you!" he concluded, a broad grin on his face.

"Wow. Thanks!" Harry said, amazed once again at how much his cousin had changed. Before he probably would have just snapped the broomstick in half and left it by the side of the road somewhere. Harry blanched at that thought. One of the only remaining things he ever got from his godfather, broken and abandoned...

"So, where are your friends?" Dudley asked. "Mum wouldn't be happy if they left without tea or biscuits," he said, holding up the tray again.

"Oh, they're in there," Harry said nodding towards the living room door. "Hermione got a bit...upset, so I sent her in to calm down a bit."

"What upset her?" Dudley asked worriedly. Harry marveled over the fact that he seemed genuinely concerned.

"She just found out about my history with the cupboard," Harry said, patting the door lightly.

"Oh..." Dudley said quietly. "Listen Harry, I'm sorry-"

"I know," Harry said, talking over him. "You don't have to apologize, it's all right. It's all in the past."

Dudley smiled at him gratefully.

After a moment of silence, Harry said, "I reckon she's alright now. We could probably go in."

"Alright," Dudley agreed, following Harry in.

Ron and Hermione were siting side by side on the couch, Ron's arm around her shoulders. She still looked upset, there was still a bit of fire dancing in her eyes, but Harry gave her a warning look and she remained silent.

Dudley set the tray down on the little coffee table between them, and Ron immediately grabbed a cookie. Hermione calmed down a bit more and smiled in amusement. "Never stops eating," she said, looking over at Harry, who laughed. Ron attempted to say something, but it got lost in all the cookie he had in his mouth and sounded like gibberish. Which made Harry and Hermione laugh even harder. Ron's ears turned red again. Hermione giggled and kissed him on the nose before settling her head on his shoulder, a smile on her face.

"So are you two..." Dudley asked awkwardly, indicating Ron and Hermione.

Ron, who had finally managed to swallow all the cookie, said, "Yep. She's my girlfriend and I'm the luckiest man in the world." Hermione beamed at him.

"Congratulations, she's very pretty," Dudley said, taking a cookie himself. Hermione turned slightly pink.

"And have you got anyone special?" he asked Harry.

"Yeah," he replied proudly. "Her name is Ginny." Harry pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it to a picture of himself and Ginny sitting in the garden at the Burrow. Harry had his hand around her waist and they were both laughing. He thought she looked particularly beautiful, the sunlight shining off of her hair and her cheeks red from laughing. He smiled as he gazed at the picture.

"She's beautiful," Dudley said. "You two make a good couple."

"But I'll still flay him within an inch of his life if he hurts her," Ron said from over on the sofa. Hermione gave him an exasperated look.

"That's his little sister," Harry said in response to Dudley's questioning look.

"Ah," said Dudley. Aunt Petunia took that moment to enter, a tea tray with five cups laid out on it balanced precariously in her arms. Harry quickly jumped up and took the dray from her, setting it gently down next to the cookies.

"Thank you, Harry," she said, sitting down next to Dudley. Harry saw her eyes drift over to Ron and Hermione.

"Aunt Petunia, these are my best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," he said, introducing them for the second time.

"It's very good to meet you," she said politely. Harry tell she was still a little bit stiff towards them. _Old habits die hard,_ he thought to himself. But he could tell she was making an effort, which he appreciated greatly.

There was an awkward silence while Aunt Petunia poured the tea out for them all, only broken by her asking Ron and Hermione if they wanted milk or sugar. Finally, Harry said, "So, I see you've settled back in here quite nicely."

"Oh, yes," she said, seizing the topic of conversation. "We had to buy some new furniture, of course. A lot of it was broken and destroyed when we got back."

"I'm sorry about that," Harry apologized quickly. "The Death Eaters aren't really fond of leaving things intact."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm just glad it was the furniture and not any of us," she said. Harry smiled grimly again. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. He took a sip of tea, finding out the hard way that it was still scalding hot. He gasped as it hit his throat and he set the cup back down, gathering everyone's attention on himself. Ron started snickering.

"Oh, shut up," Harry muttered. He heard the sudden crunch of tires on gravel, and shifting the curtain aside a bit, he could see a shiny new company car now parked in the driveway.

"Oh dear..." Petunia muttered. Harry couldn't help but agree. Ron and Hermione were looking out the window too, and Harry couldn't help but notice they had gone slightly pale.

"Petunia! Dudley! I'm home early!" came the shout from the entryway.

"We're in the living room, dear," she answered faintly.

"What's this pile of rubbish by the door here?" Vernon asked as the door flew open and he stepped through into the living room. Harry had a hard time not laughing at the expression on his uncle's face.

It was first one of surprise, then he realized that there were three wizards in his home. It then turned to one of suppressed rage. His face went very pale before it turned a bright red color. His eyes were narrowed dangerously. Harry snuck another look over at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking quite alarmed. At that, Harry did laugh quietly. He had been on the receiving end of his uncle's temper before and he was quite used to it. That didn't make it any better, however. He was more worried about how Ron and Hermione would take it.

Vernon seemed to struggle with himself for a few moments, before finally snarling, "What are you doing back here?"

"I've come to fetch the rest of my things from my old room," Harry said calmly, and a bit defiantly.

"It's about time you got that load of rubbish out of my house. My home is not a storage unit," he sneered.

"Then here," Harry said, pulling an envelope out of his coat pocket and holding it out towards his uncle.

"What the devil is that?" Vernon asked, the vein in his temple throbbing.

"It's some muggle money," Harry answered back. "I took the liberty of getting some to pay you back for keeping my stuff and having to go on the run and buy new furniture, and all that."

"You think that a few quid is payback for what you put us through?" Vernon roared. Ron and Hermione both jumped. "Having to leave our jobs, our friends, our home of nearly twenty years?"

At this, Harry looked back over at Ron and Hermione. They both looked completely outraged, and the fire was back in Hermione's eyes. He suddenly decided that he didn't have to worry about how his friends would take his uncles temper. They seemed like they could handle themselves.

"You think that was bad?" Hermione asked in her most dangerous voice. It was quiet and calm sounding, but Harry knew better than to believe it. "That's nothing compared to what we, especially your nephew, had to go through!"

Harry smiled and leaned back in his chair. He wouldn't mind watching Uncle Vernon be taken down a few notches by a pair of wizards.

Hermione jumped up and walked over to him, Ron right behind her. "Don't you realize, the night he left here we were attacked by Death Eaters? And we were nearly killed? And that your nephew came face to face with Voldemort that night? And that one of our absolute toughest, bravest, strongest meN was killed? Hermione asked, glaring at him so fiercely that Harry was amazed his mustache wasn't on fire.

"Don't you realize," Ron spoke up, "That my brothers wedding was crashed by Death Eaters who had just tortured and killed our Minister of Magic, and that the entire Ministry had fallen under control of V..V..Voldemort?" Harry blinked in surprise. Ron had said Voldemort's name. He barely had time to register it before Hermione went on.

"Don't you realize that we had to go on the run as well, searching for pieces of a homicidal psychopath's soul? That without those crucial pieces he would be impossible to defeat?" Hermione said loudly.

"Don't you realize that with every dark wizard in the country was looking for us, that Harry had a huge price on his head? That he was made 'Undesirable Number One', simply because he didn't show up for school? And that we had to break into the Ministry of Magic and steal a locket from a high ranking official, undetected?" Ron chimed in.

"And we had to camp in the forest in a flimsy tent from that point on? For months! And having to move every so often to avoid detection?" Hermione spat out.

"And that we had very little food to eat, and had to wear a piece of an evil gits soul around our necks?" Ron said savagely. Harry understood his anger for that one, as it had been especially tough for him.

"And how Harry and I almost got killed by Voldemort's pet snake who was imitating an old woman when we went to go and see his old home? His real old home, mind you. In Godric's Hollow, where his parents lived. And while we were there, we escaped Voldemort himself by about one tenth of a second?" Hermione screeched.

"And how I had to save his life," Ron snarled, jerking his head toward Harry, "from that one tiny piece of soul, as well as my own?"

"Not to mention the fact that we were caught and taken to Voldemort's home-base where I was tortured for information?" Hermione snarled fiercely, pulling back her sleeve to show the scar on her forearm that read 'Mudblood.' Uncle Vernon's eyes grew wide, and he went very pale. He was also opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"Then we had to break into the wizard bank, possibly the most heavily guarded wizarding place in existence, steal another piece of soul from a high security vault, and then escape on the back of a dragon?" Harry heard a sudden gasp an the word 'Dragon', and he looked around to see that both Aunt Petunia and Dudley were staring with rapt attention.

"And don't you realize," Hermione said, adopting her most dangerous voice yet, "that we had to go fight in the biggest battle of the war where we had to destroy the rest of the pieces of soul, and duel to save our lives. And that before it was over, over fifty people died?" she shrieked.

"Including innocent students who weren't even supposed to be there! Including an amazingly brave triple agent for our side! Including the parents of Harry's godchild! And including MY BROTHER!" Ron bellowed into his face.

Vernon was looking very defeated. He cowered and shook under the intense glares of the two furious wizards. He mumbled something incoherently, something very high pitched, and turned and left the room. Harry started laughing so hard that he almost started crying.

"That was brilliant," he finally managed to choke out. He had been laughing so long that Ron and Hermione were both seated back on the sofa, though both were still fuming.

"We've got your back, mate," Ron said, allowing a small smile on his face. "Ever since first year, and in the future."

"Did you really do all that stuff?" Dudley burst out suddenly. Harry looked over at him, amused. Dudley was now staring wide eyed at him. He also noticed that Aunt Petunia was looking very pale.

"Well, all that stuff sounded really good when they put it that way, but it really wasn't-" he began, before Hermione cut him off in exasperation.

"And there's your extreme modesty kicking in again!" she said. "Yes, he really did all that stuff," she said, addressing Petunia and Dudley.

"And that's only the stuff he did last year," Ron said.

"What else have you done?" Dudley asked excitedly.

"First year, he got through all of the teachers protections and made it all the way into a chamber where Voldemort was, then stopped him from coming back," Ron said.

"Yeah, but you two were there as well! I would have been completely lost on some of the stuff without you! Not to mention that I almost died, I was in a coma for three days!" Harry said quickly.

"Second year," Ron said, ignoring him, "He stopped Voldemort from coming back again, saved my sisters life, and killed a fifty foot snake with a sword."

"But I almost died again, I got stabbed with a fang and injected with venom! If Fawkes hadn't been there-" Harry attempted to defend himself again.

"Third year," Hermione said, beginning to catch on to where Ron was going, "he went back in time and saved his godfather's, and innocent creature's, and my life by using an extremely difficult charm that most adult wizards can't even do."

"The time turner thing was just a fluke!"

"Fourth year he was put in a dangerous tournament and completed three extremely difficult tasks, watched Voldemort come back, was tortured by him, then dueled him," Ron said smugly.

"And I almost died again! And Cedric did die, I couldn't save him!"

"Fifth year he taught defensive magic as the only competent teacher we had to a bunch of students, and he taught us all very well. Not to mention rushing off to the Ministry of Magic to save his godfather and getting into an intense battle. Then he had to watch his godfather die right in front of him," Hermione said.

"You guys were there, I didn't do it by myself!"

"Sixth year he found out about the horcruxes and he and Dumbledore got past Voldemort's enchantments, then he had to witness his mentor be murdered by another of his teachers!" Ron said.

"Okay, that was mostly Dumbledore, he figured out how to get in and he drank the potion!"

"The point is," Ron said loudly, "You've done a lot of amazing things, but you're just too bloody stubborn and modest to admit them."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"That's amazing," Dudley breathed, looking at his cousin in disbelief.

"Oh, it's not that great! I nearly always had help, and I nearly died so many times that I've lost count now!" Harry argued. "And I didn't even know what I was doing half the time!"

"You're a hero, mate. Better get used to it," Ron said smugly. Harry huffed, but remained silent, knowing that the argument could go on for a very long time.

"Harry," Aunt Petunia whispered a few seconds later, so quietly that Harry wasn't even sure she said anything. But looking over at her, he saw she was staring at him.

"Yeah?" Harry asked her.

"Your...your mother would be so proud of you," she said in a choked voice. Harry noticed that tears were welling up in her eyes. "And I am too. I'm sorry for the way I treated you for all those years."

"Aunt Petunia, it's alright-," Harry began, before being cut off.

"No, I need to say this. I acted shamefully for so many years over a stupid schoolgirl grudge, and I am so ashamed of myself. If your mother were here today she would never forgive me. I would find it absolutely shocking if one day, you may ever manage it," she said, the tears slowly beginning to run down her cheeks. "I am so sorry for taking away your childhood like that. No six year old should have to cook breakfast. No eight year old should be forced to mow the lawn and tend to the garden and clean the house. NO on should be forced to live in a cupboard for ten years."

At that she started crying in earnest. Harry looked over to Hermione, afraid she might have another outburst, but to his great surprise she was fighting back tears as well.

Harry stood and walked over to Aunt Petunia, sitting on the arm of the sofa she was sitting on.

"Aunt Petunia, it's alright. I forgive you. I know everything that happened back then, and I assure you, I've had time enough to think about it. I forgive you," he said, hand on her shoulder. She gasped and started crying even harder.

"Just like your mother," she managed to say. "Always so kind. She may have had a wicked temper, god help anyone who got on the wrong side of it, but she would never hold a grudge. She always was so forgiving," she sniffed. "Though she never did forgive me." She got a very distant look in her eyes. She continued talking to no one in particular.

"Ever since she got her letter, things were never the same. After she came back from her first year, I was so jealous, I ignored her those two months. She would come to me, crying and begging me to talk to her...but I ignored her." Harry was listening silently. He could tell that she had been holding this in for a long time. Hermione was still fighting tears.

"Every summer she would come back, and she would come to me, try and talk to me. I called her a freak. And then after she graduated, she brought home your father. He was so nice, so polite. And she begged me to be civil, to talk to him. But I was nothing but rude. It upset her so much. I almost stopped and apologized right there. How I wish I did. But I didn't. That was the last time I saw her. I got a notice of their wedding, then a notice saying they had you. I tore them both up and threw them out.

"Then she was killed and you were here and I was so bitter about everything. I just took it out on you," she said, turning back to Harry with tear glazed eyes. "I'm so sorry. For everything." Harry took out his wand and conjured her a handkerchief. She accepted it gratefully and used it to wipe her eyes off, then blowing her nose loudly. She sat there, hiccuping slightly. Dudley was looking absolutely shocked behind her.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry began, catching everyone's attention. "I want you to have this," he said, pulling the envelope back out.

"No," she said. "I couldn't possibly. Not after everything."

"I insist. You're going to take it, like it or not," Harry said, setting the envelope down on the table.

"That's another quality from your mother," Petunia smiled, wiping more tears from her eyes. "Selflessness."

Harry smiled back. He looked up at the clock, one of the only original pieces left in the room, and saw that they had been there almost two hours. He remembered the other Weasleys telling him that if he wasn't back in two hours, they would all come and find him to make sure he was okay. He patted his aunt on the shoulder and gave her a reassuring look.

"I think we'd better get going," Harry said, standing up and stretching a bit. Ron and Hermione stood up as well.

"Already?" Petunia asked, wiping her eyes yet again.

"Yeah, the others will be worried if we don't get back," Harry explained carefully. "But I think it's safe to say that it would be nice to do this again."

"Of course, you must come back!" Petunia said at once. "But how can we get in contact with you if we need to?" she asked.

"I'm actually planning on getting a muggle PO box," he said in response. "I'll get you the address to that as soon as I can."

"Good," his aunt said. "I don't want to lose contact with you again."

They all stepped back into the entry hall, and Harry heard the kitchen door snap shut. He snorted, thinking of his uncle barricaded in there.

"Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Dursley," Hermione said politely, hugging the older woman. "And it was good to meet you as well, Dudley," she said, shaking his hand. Ron shook both of their hands as well.

Harry walked up to his aunt and said, "Thanks again, Aunt Petunia." He wrapped her in a hug as well.

"No dear, thank you," she said. Harry just smiled.

He turned to Dudley and said, "Good to see you, Big D."

"Same here," Dudley replied after another hug.

Harry turned to his aunt again and asked, "Could we possibly apparate back from right here? It'll save a lot of trouble."

"Of course," she agreed immediately. Harry thanked her and got a hold of his trunk, Ron picking up the other end. Hermione clutched his broomstick in her hands.

"Oh, just a second," Harry said, putting his trunk back down. Ron looked at him questioningly. Harry just laughed and yelled, "Goodbye Uncle Vernon!" They heard a distinct tinkle of broken glass and a loud thump. They all laughed, even Petunia.

"Alright, goodbye guys," Harry said. "See you again soon!" And with that, they went whizzing back to the Burrow.

Harry's meeting with his family gave him a lot to think about, it certainly had been a surprising visit. But he knew that the first thing he was going to do when he got back was obvious. He was going to get his broom back from Hermione and take it for a ride. He would have bet his newly found broomstick that Oliver Wood would have been very proud of him in that moment.

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